The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-11-19


| allowed to adopt favorite saying OF
yours, beg to call the attention OF your
readers to the following points:
cit is said," that unexpected reve-
lations will yet crop out of the Chinese
passport bus ness now tbefore the Par
lament 1t is said, that out OF 600 CHI
namen who are on the eve of their de-
parture very few have any intention OF
| ever. coming back, and yet nearly all
have taken return passport, which
they will sell in Hongkong for good
bonus-say $50 to $10O-and which will
enable as many of their green "blOthers"
to come here Il their stead. 1t IS said,
that out of the 427 Cinnamon lately
landed from the Belgic with return pass
port a good many had never been here
before. It is said, that bogus passports
are manufactured in China, and this
Government could stop all OF the pass
port traffic and impositions it they chose,
but that some of its officials who ought
to be most in earnest for this business
to be stopped are the very ones who
wish the most for it to continue. 1t is
said, further, that it is not the planter
who gets the benefit of this disguised
but continual immigration OF Chinese
through traffic in return passports-but
that it is solely working to the advant-
age of the Chinese companies, who are
thus enabled to land here men whom
they contract in China at So or St
month, and whom are transferred here at
$50 or $40, making for the introducer $40
month clear profit on every man they
thus surreptitiously landed.
And a good many more things OF the
same kind are said, too long to report,
and of the truth of which nobody can
bespeak. But one thing is Gel Jain, viz:
that the public sentiment is getting
fairly wound up upon the Chinese ques-
ton, every workman and laborer here
white man or nativc-real; ling that it
is for him question of ''To be or not
to be' Another thing is certain, also,
and this is that the working classes-the
authors of the present Goyernment-are
closely watching to see whether or not
the law for preventing any more Chi
nese immigration to these Islands, is, or
not, gong to be enforced by the authori-
ties.
Now, the law says that only Chinese
who have already been here can be al
lowed to come back a.Ger their leaving.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs may
say as much as he pleases that every
precaution is being taken to make good
this restriction, but facts and not words
are necessary to satisfy the public. Ii
the Government want to do their duty
to this county, and respect the law,
they must see that the passport business
ceases TO be a farce e1d traffic n the
hands of the Chinese companies or any
one else n other words, if the Govern
ment want to protect our people from
Chinese invasion and passport abuse,
they must make the passport SO that it
can only be used by the man who really
wants to return. This can be done, and
= the Government tolerate any regula-
tions not absolutely stringent it is sign
that they are false and betray the peo- |
pie in whose interest they ,pretend to
rule.
In Australia the law about return pass |
ports for Cinnamon is the same as ours;
but so strict the authorities want to be, |
and so sure that the law is not evaded, |
that the passport must be accompanied |
by three means of Identification, so that |
none but the man himself can use it.
These means being: First, the photo !
graph of owner; second, his thumb inn |
preston; third, the measurement OF his |
head. Why is it that the Government |
does not adopt these precautions here, or
at least one of them?
The Gibson administration did go SO |
farm one of their freaks of pretended |
to order that every passport |
should be accompanied by asphotograph |
of bearer, copy of said photograph to
be left at the Foreign Office here as
means of con '~ontation when a man re-
turned. But as this, sincerely carried |
out, would have put stop to the little
game in the sale OF passports, the virtuous
order never passed into practice.
Now, # the present Government are
sincere in their proposed enforcement of
the law, why do they not adopt imme
diately the suggestions and order that no
more Chinese passports be issued with
out their being accompanied by photo.
graph of owner, triple copy, one to be
affixed on the passport, the second to be
sent to the Hawaiian Consul in Hong
kong, for him to allow the departure of
the returning true bearer, and the third
kept here for conformation at the landing
This photographing might be done by
some special employee of the Govern